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Brazil's Supreme Court judge Moraes defies US sanctions, vows to continue Bolsonaro trial
Brazil's Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes talks during Brazil's Supreme Court trial over an alleged coup attempt, in Brasilia, Brazil on June 9, 2025. Reuters File
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing a criminal case against an ally of President Donald Trump, told a court session on Friday that he will continue to do his job and 'ignore the sanctions' imposed by the United States that effectively block him from the country's wide-reaching financial system.
On Wednesday, the US imposed sanctions on Moraes for overseeing the trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing the judge of authorising arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression.
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Justice Moraes has presided over the criminal case against Bolsonaro, who has been charged with plotting a coup to overturn Brazil's 2022 presidential election after his supporters violently stormed government buildings following the election victory of leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The US sanctions were accompanied by an executive order imposing a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, which was also tied to the case Moraes is overseeing against Bolsonaro, an unwavering supporter of the US president.
Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, and several of his closest allies were charged with plotting a coup to overturn his 2022 electoral loss, in a case that was in many ways similar to accusations against Trump.
Moraes said the court would not submit itself to foreign coercion or what he likened to new coup attempts by Bolsonaro's allies.
Moraes said the Federal Supreme Court will continue to exercise its role as guardian of the Constitution.
'It will continue to exercise its role in criminal proceedings so that it can provide a final answer to all Brazilian society regarding who was truly responsible' for the attempted coup, he said, adding that there will be due process of law with no internal or external interference.
Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of the former president who moved to the U.S. to persuade the White House to intervene in his father's favor, has claimed credit for Trump's policies on Brazil.
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'This criminal organization's insistence on implementing measures harmful to Brazil, by encouraging the imposition of these tariffs and making spurious and illegal attacks against Brazilian public officials, is aimed at creating a severe economic crisis in the country,' he said. 'But to the dismay of these traitorous Brazilians, that crisis will not happen.'
Moraes added that the court would conclude the trial of those accused of attempting a coup d'état before the end of the year.
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